International Challenges

Obama found himself grappling with an international crisis in late August and
September 2013 when it was discovered that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had
used chemical weapons against civilians. While saying that thousands of people,
including over 400 children, had been killed in the chemical attacks, Obama called
Syria's actions "a serious national security threat to the United States and to the
region, and as a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable."
The president worked to persuade Congress and the international community at
large to take action against Syria, but found a majority on Capitol Hill opposed to
military involvement. Obama then announced an alternative solution on September
10, 2013, by stating that if al-Assad agreed with the stipulations outlined in a
proposal made by Russia to give up its chemical weapons, then a direct strike
against the nation could be avoided. Al-Assad acknowledged the possession of
chemical weapons and ultimately accepted the Russian proposal.
Later that month, Obama made diplomatic strides with Iran. He spoke with Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani on the phone, which marked the first direct contact
between the leaders of the two countries in more than 30 years. This
groundbreaking move by Obama was seen by many as a sign of thawing in the
relationship between the United States and Iran. "The two of us discussed our
ongoing efforts to reach an agreement over Iran's nuclear program," reported
Obama at a press conference in which he expressed optimism that a deal could be
reached to lift sanctions on Iran in return for that countrys willingness to halt its
nuclear development program.

Domestic Policies and Problems

Obama found himself struggling on the domestic front in October 2013. A dispute
over the federal budget and Republican desires to defund or derail the Affordable
Care Act caused a 16-day shutdown of the federal government. After a deal had
been reached to end the shutdown, Obama used his weekly address to express his
frustration over the situation and his desire for political reform: "The way business is
done in Washington has to change. Now that these clouds of crisis and uncertainty
have lifted, we need to focus on what the majority of Americans sent us here to do
grow the economy, create good jobs, strengthen the middle class, lay the
foundation for broad-based prosperity, and get our fiscal house in order for the long
haul."
The Affordable Care Act continued to come under fire in October after the failed
launch of HealthCare.gov, the website meant to allow people to find and purchase
health insurance. Extra technical support was brought in to work on the troubled
website, which was plagued with glitches for weeks. The health care law was also
blamed for some Americans losing their existing insurance policies, despite
repeated assurances from Obama that such cancellations would not occur.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Obama insisted that the insurance companies

and not his legislationcaused the coverage change. "Remember, before the
Affordable Care Act, these bad-apple insurers had free rein every single year to limit
the care that you received, or used minor pre-existing conditions to jack up your
premiums, or bill you into bankruptcy, he said.
Under mounting pressure, Obama found himself apologizing regarding some health
care changes. In an interview with NBC News, he said of those who lost their
insurance plans, "I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based
on assurances they got from me." Obama pledged to find a remedy to this problem,
saying, and We are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find
themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this."

Managing Foreign Crises

The fall of 2013 brought Obama additional challenges in the area of foreign
relations. In October 2013, German Chancellor Angela Merkel revealed that the NSA
had been listening in to her cell phone calls. "Spying among friends is never
acceptable," Merkel told a summit of European leaders. In the wake of these
controversies, Obama saw his approval rating drop to a new low in November 2013.
Only 37 percent of Americans polled by CBS News approved of the job he was doing
as president, while 57 percent disapproved of his handling of the job.
Echoes of the Cold War also returned after civil unrest and protests in the capital
city of Kiev led to the downfall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's
administration in February 2014. Russian troops crossed into Ukraine to support proRussian forces and the annexation of the province of Crimea. In response, Obama
ordered sanctions targeting individuals and businesses considered by the U.S.
government to be Ukraine agitators or involved in the Crimean crisis. "In 2014 we
are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of
democratic leaders," Obama stated. The president said the sanctions were taken in
close coordination with European allies and gave the U.S. "the flexibility to adjust
our response going forward based on Russia's actions.
In addition to the ongoing troubles in Ukraine, tensions between Israelis and
Palestinians erupted into violence in Gaza during the summer of 2014. At the same
time, tens of thousands of Central American children were being apprehended at
the U.S.-Mexico border after making the perilous crossing alone. Many Republicans
called for the rapid deportation of these illegal immigrants, while others considered
the situation a humanitarian crisis. Another of the president's woes came from the
legislative branch. Speaker of the House John Boehner launched an effort to sue
Obama for overstepping his executive powers with some of his actions regarding
the Affordable Care Act.
In August 2014, Obama ordered the first airstrikes against the self-proclaimed
Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which had seized large swathes of Iraq and
Syria and conducted high-profile beheadings of foreign hostages. The following
month, the U.S. launched its first attacks on ISIS targets in Syria, although the
president pledged to keep combat troops out of the conflict. Several Arab countries

joined in the airstrikes against the extremist Islamic militant group. "The only
language understood by killers like this is the language of force, Obama said in a
speech to the United Nations. So the United States of America will work with a
broad coalition to dismantle this network of death."

Presidency after 2014 Elections

That November, Obama had to cope with new challenges on the home front.
Republicans made an impressive showing on Election Day and gained a majority in
the Senate, meaning that Obama would have to contend with Republicans
controlling both houses of Congress for the final two years of his term.
Obama flexed his presidential power in December by moving to reestablish
diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than 50 years. The policy
change came after the exchange of American citizen Alan Gross and another
unnamed American intelligence agent for three Cuban spies. In a speech at the
White House, Obama explained that the dramatic shift in Cuban policy would
"create more opportunities for the American and Cuban people and begin a new
chapter among the nations of the Americas."
In renewing diplomatic ties with Cuba, Obama announced plans "to increase travel,
commerce and the flow of information to and from Cuba." The long-standing U.S.
economic embargo on Cuba, however, remained in effect and could only be
removed with the approval of Congress. Obama may not be able to sway Congress
to agree on this policy shift as leading Republicansincluding Boehner, McConnell
and Florida Senator Marco Rubioall spoke out against Obama's new Cuba policies.
In his 2015 State of the Union address, Obama declared that the nation was out of
recession. "America, for all that we've endured; for all the grit and hard work
required to come back . . . know this: The shadow of crisis has passed," he said. He
went on to share his vision for ways to improve the nation through free community
college programs and middle-class tax breaks.
With Democrats outnumbered by Republicans in both the House and the Senate,
Obama threatened to use his executive power to prevent any tinkering by the
opposition on his existing policies. "We cant put the security of families at risk by
taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or
refighting past battles on immigration when weve got to fix a broken system," he
said. "And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, I will veto
it."
Not long after his State of the Union address, Obama traveled to India to meet with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to several news reports, Obama and Modi
had reached a "breakthrough understanding" regarding India's nuclear power
efforts. Obama told the Indian people in a speech given in New Delhi that "we can
finally move toward fully implementing our civil nuclear agreement, which will mean
more reliable electricity for Indians and cleaner, non-carbon energy that helps fight
climate change." This agreement would also open the door to U.S. investment in
India's energy industry.

Supreme Court Victories

The summer of 2015 brought two major U.S. Supreme Court wins for the Obama
administration. The court upheld part of the president's Affordable Care Act
regarding health care tax subsidies. Without these tax credits, buying medical
insurance might have become too costly for millions of Americans.
On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court also made marriage equality a reality with its 54 decision to overturn an earlier 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that same-sex
marriage bans in several states were constitutional. By reversing this earlier
decision, the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the country.
President Obama, who became the first president to voice support for same-sex
marriage in May 2012, praised the court for affirming "that the Constitution
guarantees marriage equality. In doing so, they've reaffirmed that all Americans are
entitled to the equal protection of the law. That all people should be treated equally,
regardless of who they are or who they love."

In his speech, Obama also said that the court's decision "is a consequence of the
countless small acts of courage of millions of people across decades who stood up,
who came out, who talked to parentsparents who loved their children no matter
what. Folks who were willing to endure bullying and taunts, and stayed strong . . .
and slowly made an entire country realize that love is love."
On the same day as this landmark decision, President Obama grappled with an
incident of racial violence by speaking at the funeral of Reverend Clementa
Pinckney, one of the nine African-Americans killed by a young white man during a
Bible study meeting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In
his eulogy for Pinckney, Obama said that the churchs late pastor "embodied the
idea that our Christian faith demands deeds and not just words."

Iran Nuclear Deal

In July 2015, Obama announced that, after lengthy negotiations, the United States
and five world powers had reached an agreement with Iran over its nuclear
program. The deal would allow inspectors entry into Iran to make sure the country
kept its pledge to limit its nuclear program and enrich uranium at a much lower
level than would be needed for a nuclear weapon. In return, the U.S. and its
partners would remove the tough sanctions imposed on Iran and allow the country
to ramp up sales of oil and access frozen bank accounts.
As the administration began its effort to lobby Congress to endorse the deal, Obama
made his first trip as president back to his fathers homeland of Kenya. In addition
to having dinner with three-dozen relatives, some of whom he met for the very first
time, Obama proudly proclaimed to a packed arena, I am proud to be the first
American president to come to Kenyaand of course Im the first Kenyan-American
to be president of the United States.

Clean Power Plan

In August 2015, the Obama administration announced The Clean Power Plan, a
major climate change plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the firstever national standards to limit carbon pollution from coal-burning power plants in
the United States. President Obama called the plan the "single most important step
that America has ever made in the fight against global climate change."
The plan calls for aggressive Environmental Protection Agency regulations including
requiring existing power plants to cut carbon dioxide emissions 32 percent from
2005 levels by 2030 and use more renewable energy sources like wind and solar
power. Under the regulations, states will be allowed to create their own plans to
reduce emissions and are required to submit initial plans by 2016 and final versions
by 2018.
Critics quickly voiced loud opposition to the plan including Kentucky Senator Mitch
McConnell, the Republican majority leader, who sent a letter to every governor in
the United States urging them not to comply with the regulations. States and
private companies, which rely on coal production for their economic livelihoods, are
also expected to legally challenge the plan.
Despite the backlash from those sectors, President Obama remained steadfast in his
bold action to address climate change. "We've heard these same stale arguments
before," he said in an address from the White House. "Each time they were wrong."
He added: "We're the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the
last generation that can do something about it."

2015 Paris Climate Conference

In November 2015, Obama further demonstrated his commitment to environmental
issues as a primary player in the international COP21 summit held outside of Paris,
France. Addressing the gathered representatives of nearly 200 countries, Obama
acknowledged the United States position as the second-largest climate polluter and
the nations primary responsibility to do something about it. The resulting Paris
Agreement requires all participating nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in
an effort to limit the rise of global temperatures over the ensuing century and also
to allocate resources for the research and development of alternative energy
sources. President Obama praised the agreement for establishing the enduring
framework the world needs to solve the climate crisis and pledged that the United
States would cut its emissions more than 25 percent by 2030.

Gun Control
Entering his final year as President of the United States, in early January 2016
Obama held a press conference to announce a new series of executive orders
related to gun control. Citing examples such as the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy
Hook elementary school, the president shed tears as he called on Congress and the

gun lobby to work with him to make the country safer. His measures, which have
met with vehement opposition from members of both the Republican and
Democratic Parties, as well as gun advocacy groups such as the NRA, would
implement more thorough background checks for gun buyers, stricter governmental
oversight and enforcement of gun laws, better information sharing regarding mental
health issues as related to gun ownership and investment in gun safety technology.
According to a 2015 Gallup poll, most Americans favor some kind of stricter
regulations of gun sales.

Final State of the Union

In what is likely to be one of his last major speeches as president, on January 12,
2016, Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union address. Diverging from
the typical policy-prescribing format, Obamas message for the American people
was centered on themes of optimism in the face of adversity, asking them not to let
fears about security or the future get in the way of building a nation that is cleareyed and big-hearted. This did not prevent him from taking thinly disguised jabs
at Republican presidential hopefuls for what he characterized as their cynical
rhetoric, making further allusions to the rancor and suspicion between the parties
and his failure as president to have not been able to do more to bridge that gap. But
Obama also took the opportunity to tout his accomplishments, citing the Affordable
Care Act, diplomatic progress with Iran and Cuba, the legalization of gay marriage
and profound economic recovery as among them.